Brush Up Your English

Lessons to be learned

The Constitution's drafters would have once think that there is a single European identity, but that is based on ideals, not evidence. Beyond the gains of a common market and harmonization in areas such as public health and environmental policy, the idea that there are genuine "European" interests is highly debatable. Proponents of integration scold the member states for putting national welfare above that of the Union, but there is little proof that Europeans want what distant bureaucrats in Brussels think they need, such as a common foreign policy, a single criminal law, and harmonized tax and social security policies. Indeed, recent polling shows that popular support for, and identification with, the EU is at near-historic lows.
single – jediný based on – založeno na evidence – důkaz(y) beyond – za, kromě gain – zisk common market – jednotný trh

genuine – ryzí highly debatable – značně diskutabilní proponent – člověk snažící se něco prosadit to scold – plísnit, peskovat to put sth above – klást něco výš než

welfare – blaho, prospěch proof – důkaz distant – vzdálený

common – jednotný tax – daň security – bezpečnost indeed – skutečně, vskutku recent – nedávný polling – dotazování

support for – podpora čeho near-historic low – téměř historické minimum

If Europe is not careful, it may actually learn a great deal from what many now see as a disappointment. It could learn that, in many of the policy areas it is striving to embrace, there is no true sense of shared effort. It could learn that unity and common interest cannot be imposed from above by bureaucrats, but must grow organically from the people below. Finally, it could learn the painful truth that it is simply not mature enough to have its own interests, that it is still a collection of disparate identities and differing dreams.

careful – opatrný actually – vlastně, skutečně great deal – hodně, značné množství disappointment – zklamání to strive – usilovat to embrace – obejmout, přijmout true – opravdový

shared – sdílený to impose – vnutit, uvalit from above – shora

below – pod painful – bolestný mature enough – dostatečně vyspělý own – vlastní disparate – různorodý, nesourodý differing – lišící se

Připravuje Markéta Frýbová

Další informace [nápis]
Číslo 18/2004
Časopis Veřejná správa č. 18/2004
Časopis Veřejná správa
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